Devils crush Titans to remain unbeaten

TRAVERSE CITY — It was to be one of the Gaylord basketball team’s toughest road games of the season, but the Blue Devils made it look easy.

Gaylord held host Traverse City West to just 14 second-half points in a 61-42 Big North Conference victory that boosted the Blue Devils’ record to 8-0 Thursday.

“Any time you can hold a talented team that can shoot the ball like they can, it says something about the way these kids want to get a win,” said Gaylord coach Pat Enders. “We had a real focused effort on defense.”

Senior Joe Arnold had 18 points and eight rebounds for Gaylord, who improved to 4-0 in the BNC. Arnold’s presence helped the visitors stake a major advantage in the paint.

“When he plays like that, we’re a very good team,” Enders said. “Guys like Quinn (Woodhouse) and Nick (Freeman) are pretty consistent, but when he plays well, we’re tough to beat.”

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The game was close in the first half, with Gaylord holding a slim 34-29 advantage. They ran out strong in the third quarter, building a double-digit deficit.

West (5-3, 2-2 BNC) made a final charge in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to seven points, but a timeout and ensuing 13-0 run put the game out of reach.

“We just came out with a lot of intensity,” Enders said. “West matched our intensity in the first half, but we really set the tone in the third quarter.”

Enders praised Freeman with having one of the best all-around games of his four-year varsity career. He finished with 13 points. Woodhouse had just six points, but was all over the floor, like usual. Senior Lucas Wickert and junior Kurt Dutcher added six points apiece.

Mike Rosenberg led the Titans with 14 points.

Gaylord has a nonconference home battle with Boyne City Tuesday before returning to BNC action Friday at Petoskey.

JUNIOR VARSITY

TRAVERSE CITY — The Gaylord junior varsity suffered a 59-43 loss to a tough Traverse City West team Thursday.

Jason McArt led the Blue Devils with 12 points, while eight other players hit the scoring column.